Buccaneers: Get ready to say so long to QB Ryan Griffin

And in the end, one of these quarterbacks needs to go. It won’t be Tom “Terrific” Brady, and likely not Blaine Gabbert. So that leaves two, one of whom, Kyle Trask, was the second-round pick this year and expected to take over for Tom when he retires in 2050. Unfortunately, Ryan Girffin’s time in Tampa is likely coming to a close.

Tampa does not need four quarterbacks, and that leaves one player on the outside looking in. That player is everybody’s favorite backup Ryan Griffin. It’s not as if Griff is a bad quarterback. His play in the clean-up role over the past few years almost makes a Buccaneers fan want to see him get some “real” playing time under center in a game that means something.

But that will never happen. One of those quarterbacks will be looking for work before the Bucs name their 53-man squad. It is barely possible that Griffin might make it to the practice squad, but other than system knowledge, Ryan Griffin hasn’t shown enough over his time with Tampa for them to worry too much about him.

Also, after tonight’s game, there really won’t be a lot of snaps to go around, and I am sure that Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich would rather see those leftovers go to players who 1. need the practice time; 2. have to establish themselves in the remaining top 2 spots, and 3. likely will be on the 53-man roster.

But why Griffin? He has been a fine example of a number three quarterback over the years. Doesn’t he deserve some credit for the work he did in supporting the Buccaneers as a scout team QB, or another arm to toss passes during warm-ups? Well, in all honesty, no, he hasn’t.

Griffin has had a nice big fat eight-year run in the NFL. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints in 2013, and Tampa plucked him off the waiver wire in 2015. One of the reasons stated for picking him up was that he didn’t give up many sacks. That skill has held true pretty much during his six years as the Bucs number three man. The sad truth of the matter is that over the six seasons he has played for Tampa, he could never get past being the third man. And, being the number three man put a person in jeopardy in this man’s NFL.

Who would think that a 2013 UA would last this long in the NFL and even garner a Super Bowl ring as a result of last season? But such careers in the NFL are rare. Perhaps, if a player bounces between teams showing enough juice to get on a squad, but not enough to actually make it onto the field.

Even the professionals need a Rudy in order to grease the gears heading into the season.
And that’s not to say that Ryan Griffin was little more than grease to the Bucs. It’s for certain he was well-liked and supported by the rest of the team, as all teams do down to the most rickety of players. But the truth of the matter is, Griffin, is at the point where some might say it’s time to “poop or get off the pot.”

Where Ryan Griffin will end up is anyone’s guess. Looking at the dearth of QB talent in the league, he might be able to cling onto another team as a number three, or with some well-thrown dice, even end up as a backup. But, in all likelihood, and given the situation he faces in the Bay Area, it leads one to speculate it may be all over for Griffin. And tonight, in all truth, will tell the tale. We’ll see if he gets axed in the next round of cuts, or if he hangs on through the rest of the preseason.

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